Specific Absorption Rates (SAR) for mobile phones

Typical distribution of the specific absorption rate (SAR) at the head surface during a mobile phone call.

Mobile communication uses high frequency electromagnetic fields for information transmission. When talking to someone on a mobile phone, the energy of these fields is partly absorbed in the head.

If a headset is used and the mobile phone is, for example, put in one’s pocket, the energy is absorbed by the body part close to the mobile phone.

SAR must not exceed 2 Watts per kilogram

The specific absorption rate (SAR) is a measure for the energy absorbed by the body. Its measure is Watt per kilogram (W/kg). In order to avoid adverse health effects, the specific absorption rate of a mobile phone must not exceed 2 Watts per kilogram.

Since 1998 this value is recommended as a limit by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). The German Commission on Radiological Protection (SSK) and the European Commission agreed in 1998 and 1999. In the following, European standardisation bodies developed standards to control compliance with these limits.

According to manufacturers’ specifications, none of the mobile phones currently available exceed the maximal SAR value of 2 Watts per kilogram recommended by ICNIRP.

SAR values of commercially available mobile phones at a glance

Since 2002, the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) regularly collects the SAR values of the commercially available mobile phones.

The values are sorted according to manufacturers and compiled in a list. The list contains – if available – for each mobile phone the SAR values for the use cases

• "Holding the phone right next to the ear during a call"
• "Wearing the phone on the body ".

The manufacturers determine the SAR values according to the European standards EN 62209-1 (Use case "Holding the phone right next to the ear during a call") and EN 62209-2 (Use case "Wearing the phone on the body"), using exactly defined and standardised procedures. Therefore, the values for the respective use cases can be compared with each other.